Cheryl Fracasso
Clinical Psychology at Saybrook University United States

Cheryl Fracasso, M.S., serves as adjunct faculty member for the University of Phoenix, Research Assistant at Saybrook University, Editorial/Advisory board member with NeuroQuantology journal, and Associate Managing Editor of the International Journal of Transpersonal Studies.

Harris Friedman
Psychology at the University of Florida United States

Harris Friedman, Ph.D., was formerly Chair of the Clinical Psychology Program at Walden University and is now Research Professor (Retired) of Psychology at the University of Florida, Professor Emeritus at Saybrook University, and Mentor at Northcentral University. He is also Senior Editor of the International Journal of Transpersonal Studies and Associate Editor of The Humanistic Psychologist, and is a practicing clinical and organizational psychologist.

Near-Death Experiences and the Possibility of Disembodied Consciousness: Challenges to Prevailing Neurobiological and Psychosocial Theories

Cheryl Fracasso, Harris Friedman

Abstract

Claims from those having near-death experiences (NDEs), as well as those sympathetic to such claims, challenge the prevailing assumption that consciousness is dependent on a functioning brain. Extant theories, both neurobiological and psychosocial, that attempt to explain NDEs are examined and found unable to adequately account for the full range of NDE reports, especially electromagnetic after-effects and out-of-body experiences with veridical perception. As a result, many leading NDE researchers have proposed that a new model is needed to explain how consciousness could possibly exist independently of the brain, mainly relying on theories from quantum physics. Our paper critically evaluates a range of extant neurobiological and psychosocial theories of NDEs, as well as examines theories that might offer more promise in fully explaining NDEs, especially those using insights derived from quantum physics. We conclude that the “hard problem” of consciousness is not yet solved, but that NDEs provide an important avenue for exploring the relationship between consciousness and brain, as well as possibly understanding a disembodied concept of consciousness.